News

  • If the UK can ditch coal, Fonterra can too

    Fonterra should follow the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s lead and phase out coal use instead of building new coal-fired milk drying plants, the Green Party said. The UK has announced that it will close all coal-fired electricity generation plants by 2025. Unless it takes action, Fonterra will by then be New Zealand’s largest user of coal after Genesis Energy stops burning coal in the Huntly power plant in 2018. “The UK has identified the need to stop burning coal and...
  • Green Party mourns Jonah Lomu

    The Green Party wishes to extend its deepest sympathies to the family, friends and fans of Jonah Lomu. “Today is a very sad day for New Zealand; we have lost an icon,” said Green Party sports and recreation spokesperson Kevin Hague. “Jonah Lomu is the most famous and beloved rugby player the world has ever seen; he had an undeniable impact around the globe, including in places where rugby isn’t commonly played. “Jonah loved nothing more than tearing up a...
  • Govt must build more state houses to get our children off the streets

    The Green Party is calling on the Government to uphold its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child* and increase the supply of state homes in Auckland, to help house the growing number of homeless families in the city. The call comes after the release of a Salvation Army report which revealed that 47 per cent (568) of people who sought help from the Army and Catholic community services were children, some of whom were...
  • Another case of pay hypocrisy from the Government

    The Green Party is accusing the Government of hypocrisy following revelations that it is paying Paula Rebstock $2000 a day to chair the Child Youth and Family review panel at the same time as it refuses to pay Parliamentary cleaners a living wage so they have to work two jobs just to get by. “Under the National Government there is one standard for its mates and a different standard for ordinary New Zealanders,” said Green Party Workplace Relations spokesperson Denise...
  • Change the Govt if you want action on climate

    The National Government’s unwillingness to work cross-party to address climate change is putting businesses and the economy at greater risk, the Green Party said today. Green Party co-leader James Shaw questioned Finance Minister Bill English in the House today on reaching a consensus on the climate — the first of a week-long series of questions on the climate in the lead up to talks in Paris starting on November 30. “The National Government’s unwillingness to work cross-party means the Government...
  • Families set to suffer as SkyCity hits jackpot

    The roll-out of 470 new gambling machines and tables at SkyCity’s Auckland casino from today, as reported on RNZ this morning, will hit families in the pocket and put already-vulnerable Kiwis at further risk, the Green Party said. The multi-national gambling corporation is allowed to increase the number of tables and machines as part of its highly controversial back-room deal with the National Government, in exchange for building a new convention centre. “SkyCity may be laughing all the way to...
  • What role did ministers play in keeping Saudi report secret?

    Minister must say whether they had anything to do with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s (NZTE) refusal to release a report into the deaths of 900 lambs sent to Saudi Arabia as a Government bribe to a Saudi businessman, the Green Party said today.